SGA3: 2,5 The Mix Tape
by MagpieSong
Summary: Just a short fluffy thing. Set after 'Hideout' and relates back to a conversation in said story.


Louanna sailed into the room, followed closely by Heidi. Radek was pouring over something that looked like a sea urchin perched on top of a stick.

"I'm just making the final adjustments", he said, looking up at the two women as he continued tapping away at his laptop. "Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard have cleared us to use channel 41 for local transmission. I've limited the range so we shouldn't have any problems with the wraith picking this up, even if they're in orbit above the planet."

"Good thing, too", said Heidi. "Wouldn't want them jamming along to Johnny Cash, eh Lou? Might spoil it for ya."

Lou rolled her eyes, then fixed Radek with a smile. "I hope McKay didn't give you too much trouble over this?"

He pushed his glasses up his nose, turning to glance at her. "Well, initially, yes, but then I think maybe Major Woodstock had a word with him?"

Heidi winked at him. "Colonel Sheppard may or may not have had something to do with that…"

"I see", he responded. "Well, I'll have to remember to thank him the next time I see him…How is your music database going?"

"Great", Lou beamed at him. "We've had donations from all over the city. We've had to omit some things for obvious reasons. I mean, we're all adults here, but we wanna keep it clean for the most part."

"Oh, and I heard that the Daedalus crew has requested podcasts?" he looked up at them quizzically.

"Yeah", said Heidi as she clambered into a high seat and perched there like a ginger bird of prey. "No word on whether its been approved by Caldwell, though. They might need Heightmayer to back them if they really want it. I think it'd be good to have something fresh to listen to during the back and forth business."

"I'm thinking if he approves it, it'll only be in rest areas like the mess and gym", said Lou, pouting. "I kind of get that, though. Daedalus is a live zone 24/7."

"Okay", said Radek, leaning back in his chair. "We should be ready now. I've built in a system that lets the citywide PA take priority, so if someone makes an announcement, you'll be effectively cut from the airwaves until they've finished what they had to say. Also, if any of the department heads tune into your frequency, they can hijack it for security purposes."

"I'm happy with that", Lou nodded. "The safety of the city isn't something we want to compromise."

"Do you have the right audio equipment? I'm sure I can build something suitable if you need it?" he queried.  
"On top of it, Radek", she tapped the side of her nose. "I put in a request on the last Daedalus run for some gear. I trust it should work when we hook it all up to this contraption?"

"Certainly", he smiled crookedly, deflating a little. "Do you have a location prepared?"

"Sure do, doc", said Heidi, sliding off the chair and lining up behind the trolley that held the transmitter and laptop. "Good to go?"

He nodded, getting to his feet as well. "Do you need help with volunteers? I could, you know, recommend some people I know…"

Lou flapped a hand at him as they headed for the door. "All good for now. We're starting small, and there's definitely no shortage of volunteers. The trick is finding people who are available at different times. We'll be in touch if we need anything else!"

"ohkay", he responded, smiling again as they departed.

"God he's adorable", she muttered, turning down the next corridor. "How does Ash say it?"

"Kawaiiiii", cooed Heidi, then burst out in cackles, hunching over the trolley.

Lou laughed with her for a few moments before they continued on, sobered once more. After several minutes of walking and a transporter trip, they finally arrived at the small, enclosed office space they had been allocated at the base of the central tower. From there, they would be able to broadcast to the entire city.

Heidi put her hands on her hips, surveying the dingy room. "Its kind of…boring, honestly", she said, frowning slightly.

Lou shrugged, sailing past her into the room and dragging the trolley behind her. "Its what we make of it that counts", she said, moving over to a large, empty table in the centre of the room. She indicated a small stack of boxes heaped against the far wall. "Help me with this crap, will ya?"

They made short work of setting up, organising all the equipment and putting everything in its relevant place. When everything was ready, Lou pulled out a USB drive, plugged it into the laptop and downloaded the music into the program Novak had written for them.

"Alrighty", Lou finally said, running her hands through her hair as she straightened. "I think we're good to go for tomorrow." She set down the headset she was holding and got to her feet, wiping her hands down the front of her jacket.

"Cool beans. I'll see you tomorrow at 0900 then", responded Heidi, heading for the door. "Night braniac."

"Night meatbag", Lou snickered.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The flyers that had been circulated throughout Atlantis over the past week seemed to have paid off; according to Doctor Zelenka, approximately two thirds of the city's inhabitants were tuned in to channel 41, ready and awaiting the grand opening of the new radio station.

The vote on the name had been a close victory for 'The Mix Tape' and Lou had to admit she was a little disappointed that her humour hadn't won out. Weir had grudgingly given her stamp of approval, after a little bit of gentle nudging from Heightmayer.

After a fairly mild review process, Louanna had selected a dozen volunteers to act as hosts for the station at varying times and held a few in reserves for times of crisis. They had decided not to opt for any shows on their radio, but would host advertising for public events.

It was a Saturday morning and with most people off duty, the mess hall was a hive of activity with many expedition members waiting eagerly for the station to launch.

John cleared his throat and looked at Radek, who nodded silently. He tapped his radio. "Attention all personnel, this is Colonel Sheppard. It is with great pride that I announce the launch of the Atlantis Expedition's first ever radio station. I'll now hand over to your host for this morning, Doctor Louanna Carlisle."

He waved a hand at Radek, who flipped a switch on the microphone and gave Lou the thumbs up as the light transitioned from red to green.

"Good morning Atlantis and welcome to The Mix Tape", Lou grinned. "It is a comfortable 77 degrees outside, an awesome looking day ahead if you're out and about. Shout out to all our ladies and gents on duty today, and if you're just tuning in, we are certainly happy to have you! Lets get started with the first hour interruption-free, starting off with a little David Bowie."

She pressed a key on the laptop beside her and started the playlist, just as Radek muted the mic once more, then leaned back in her chair. She beamed around at all the cheering and hi-fiving volunteers as 'Starman' began to play.

John came in for a fist bump. "Looks like you're a natural at this."

She shrugged. "You should have heard some of the golden voices I interviewed, flyboy."

His smirk gave way to a sheepish look. "Alright, I can't really stick around. Weir's going to have my head on a pike if I let all this get in the way of overdue reports."

She pouted. "Whatever, man. You better make an appearance at lunch time."

"No promises."

She gave a mock salute as he sailed past and out the door "See ya, Shep."


End file.
